LOCATIONAL SETTINGS

A location is the place where a particular point or object

exists. Location is an important term in geography, and is
usually considered more precise than "place." A locality is a
human settlement: city, town, village, or even archaeological
site.
Locational settings :
A location in the earth can be located by latitudes &
longitudes. This locational setting is done by Geographic
coordinate system. A geographic coordinate system is
a coordinate system that enables every location on the Earth to
be specified by a set of numbers or letters. The coordinates are
often chosen such that one of the numbers represents vertical
position, and two or three of the numbers represent horizontal
position. A common choice of coordinates
is latitude, longitude and elevation.
A geographic coordinate system (GCS) uses a three-dimensional
spherical surface to define locations on the earth. A GCS is often incorrectly
called a datum, but a datum is only one part of a GCS. A GCS includes an
angular unit of measure, a prime meridian, and a datum (based on a spheroid).
A point is referenced by its longitude and latitude values. Longitude and
latitude are angles measured from the earth's center to a point on the earth's
surface. The angles often are measured in degrees (or in grads). The following
illustration shows the world as a globe with longitude and latitude values.

In the spherical system, horizontal lines, or eastwest lines, are lines of

equal latitude, or parallels. Vertical lines, or northsouth lines, are lines of equal
longitude, or meridians. These lines encompass the globe and form a gridded
network called a graticule.
The line of latitude midway between the poles is called the equator. It
defines the line of zero latitude. The line of zero longitude is called the prime
meridian. For most geographic coordinate systems, the prime meridian is the
longitude that passes through Greenwich, England. Other countries use
longitude lines that pass through Bern, Bogota, and Paris as prime meridians.
The origin of the graticule (0,0) is defined by where the equator and prime
meridian intersect. The globe is then divided into four geographical quadrants
that are based on compass bearings from the origin. North and south are above
and below the equator, and west and east are to the left and right of the prime
meridian.

This illustration shows the parallels and meridians that form a graticule.
Latitude and longitude values are traditionally measured either in decimal
degrees or in degrees, minutes, and seconds (DMS). Latitude values are
measured relative to the equator and range from -90 at the South Pole to +90
at the North Pole. Longitude values are measured relative to the prime meridian.
They range from -180 when traveling west to 180 when traveling east. If the
prime meridian is at Greenwich, then Australia, which is south of the equator

and east of Greenwich, has positive longitude values and negative latitude
values.
It may be helpful to equate longitude values with X and latitude values
with Y. Data defined on a geographic coordinate system is displayed as if a
degree is a linear unit of measure. This method is basically the same as the Plate
Carre projection.
Although longitude and latitude can locate exact positions on the surface
of the globe, they are not uniform units of measure. Only along the equator does
the distance represented by one degree of longitude approximate the distance
represented by one degree of latitude. This is because the equator is the only
parallel as large as a meridian. (Circles with the same radius as the spherical
earth are called great circles. The equator and all meridians are great circles.)
Above and below the equator, the circles defining the parallels of latitude
get gradually smaller until they become a single point at the North and South
Poles where the meridians converge. As the meridians converge toward the
poles, the distance represented by one degree of longitude decreases to zero. On
the Clarke 1866 spheroid, one degree of longitude at the equator equals 111.321
km, while at 60 latitude it is only 55.802 km. Because degrees of latitude and
longitude don't have a standard length, you cant measure distances or areas
accurately or display the data easily on a flat map or computer screen.
Types of Location :
Absolute Location
Absolute location describes the location of a place based
on a fixed point on earth. The most common way is to identify
the location using coordinates such aslatitude and longitude.
Lines of longitude and latitude crisscross the earth.
Latitude is used to mark the north-south position of a location on the Earths
surface and ranges from 0 degrees at the equator to 90 degrees at the North and
South Poles. There are 180 degrees of latitude and the distance between each
degree of latitude is roughly 69 miles (111 km).

An example of an absolute location using latitude and longitude is

the United States Capitol which is located at 38 53 35 N, 77 00 32 W.
Latitude is always written first and latitude and longitude are composed of
degrees, minutes, and seconds (DMS).
Absolute location can also refer to an address, the street address of the US
State Capitol is First St SE in Washington, DC 20004. In both instances,
absolute location refers to a fixed point based on an abstract network of
imaginary locations.
Relative Location
Relative location refers to the position of a place or entity based on its
positive with respect to other locations. For example, the location of the US
Capitol is located about 38 miles southwest of Baltimore. Relative location can
be expressed in terms of distance, travel time, or cost.
Relative location can also be used to provide geographic context. For
example, overview or locator maps show the relative location of a place or
entity based on a larger geographic view. For example, the inset map below,
shows the relative location of the state of Texas within the United States.